Automatic brake for vehicles.



No. 718,903. PATENTED JAN. 20, 1903.

J. A. BEYER.

AUTOMATIC BRAKE FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

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JOHN A. BEYER, OF REDHILL, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC BRAKE FOR VEHlCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Eatent No. 718,903, dated January20, 1903. Application filed September 2,1902. Serial No. 121,872. (Nomodel.)

To (tZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN A. BEYER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Redhill, in the county of Montgomery and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Brakes for Vehicles, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to vehicle-brakes; and it consists in certainimprovements in the construction of such brakes, as hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a brakemechanism embodying the features of my invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of thedevice.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughoutthe figures of the drawings.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved device of thischaracter which is automatic in its operation-that is to say, is appliedwhen descending an incline and is maintained out of operation whenascending an incline and when traveling over level stretches of ground.It is furthermore designed to have the brake mechanism applicable to anyordinary vehicle without altering the same in any manner whatsoever, tohave said mechanism directly connected to the shafts, so as to becontrolled by the draft of the horse, and, finally, to arrange theconnection between the shafts and the brake-beam so as to accommodatefor the lateral swing of the shafts when the vehicle is being turned.

Nith these and other objects in View the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings,and particularlypointed out in the appended claims it being understood that change inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of thepresent invention.

Referring to the drawings, to adequately illustrate the application andoperation of the present invention there have been shown the front andrear wheeled axles 1 and 2, respectively, and a pair of shafts or thills3, which may be of any common or preferred form, as

they constitute no part of the improvements, except in the generalcombination therewith.

In carrying out the present invention there is provided a rockingbrake-beam 4E, hung from the running-gear (the latter not shown) in anysuitable manner, with the opposite ends deflected or offset, as at 5,and provided with terminal brake-shoes for engagement with the frontsides of the peripheries of the rear wheels.

As hereinbefore indicated, it is designed to actuate the brake-beam fromthe shafts or thills, and to accomplish this object a rockbar 7 isdisposed longitudinally across the front of the front axle, with itsopposite ends journaled in the spaced bearing-ears 8, which projectforwardly from the axle-clips 9, rigidly carried by the axle, and towhich the thills are ordinarily directly connected.

A swinging clip or forked crank-arm 10 is carried by each end of therock-bar and is provided with a sleeve or eye 11, receiving the bar andrigidly held therein by means of a set-screw 12, said sleeve also beingsituated between the adjacent pair of ears 8, so as to prevent lateraldisplacement thereof.

The eye of each thill-iron 13 is received within the forked orbifurcated member 10 and is pivotally connected thereto by means of abolt or pin 14, which is passed through the ears and the eye. By thisarrangement it will be seen that the rock-bar 7 is directly controlledby the thills, and hence forward draft tends to rock the bar in onedirection, and rearward strain rocks it in the opposite direction.

For transferring motion from the rock-bar 7 to the brake-beam 4 there isprovided a connecting-rod 15, which lies below the axles and has itsrear end provided with a lateral pin or projection 16, which pivotallypierces a pendent arm 17, carried by the brake-beam at a pointsubstantially midway of its ends. The forward end of the connecting-rodhas a universal or ball-and-socket joint or connection 18 with the lowerend of an arm 19, which depends from the rock-bar 7.

The purpose of the ball-and-socket jointis to permit of the bar7swinging with the front axle without twisting the connecting-rod.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that when descending agrade the rearward thrust of the thills tends to swing the clips or armsinwardly, thereby rocking the bar 7, thrusting the connecting-rod 15rearwardly in an endwise direction and also rocking the brake-beam 4 toapply the brakeshoes to the rear wheel. When forward draft is applied tothe thills, as when on a level or ascending a grade, the reverseoperation will take place, and the brake-shoes are thereby removed fromthe wheels.

What I claim is a 1. The combination with front and. rea

wheeled axles, and a rocking brake beam having brake-shoes, of a pair ofaxleelips carried by the front axle and each provided with a pair ofspaced perforated ears, a rockbar having its opposite terminalsjournaled in the perforations of the respective pairs of ears, oppositesubstantially V-shaped crankarms having transverse eyes at their closedrear ends and. embracing the terminal portions of the rock-bar betweenthe members of the respective pairs of ears and rigidly held upon thebar to turn therewith, the opposite side members of each crank-arm beingprovided with alined perforations, thills having thill-irons with theireyes fitted between the side members of the respective crank-arms,removable pivots passed through the perforations of the arms and eyes ofthe thill-irons, and an operative connection between the rock-bar andthe brake-beam.

2. The combination with front and rear wheeled axles, of oppositeaxle-clips upon the front axle, each clip having a pair of spacedforwardly-projected perforate ears, a rockbar having its ends journaledin the perforations of the respective pairs of ears, oppositesubstantially V-shaped crank-arms having open ended transverse eyes attheir rear closed ends and receiving the terminal portions of therock-bar between the members of the respective pairs of ears, set-screwspiercing the eyes and engaging the rock-bar to rigidly hold the armsthereon, thills having thill-irons with their eyes fitted between thesides of the respective V-shaped crankarms, pivotbolts removablypiercing the arms and the eyes of the thill-irons, a rocking brake-beamhaving shoes in-cooperative relation with the rear wheels, correspondingcrank-arms pendent from intermediate portions of the rock-bar and thebrake-beam, and a connecting-rod having its rear end pivotally connectedto the crank-arm of the brake-beam and its front end provided with auniversal-joint connection with the intermediate crank-arm of therock-bar.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. BEYER.

Witnesses:

HARRY W. GANDER, LAURA W. WALTERS.

